Woke up late.

On the road by 05:30

Stopped at a “liquor store” in Cadiz / Trigg, KY. Like someone built a steel building over a quik-mart. You pull in like someone is going to load your trunk with lumber, siding, and a case of Jim Beam.

A little rain outside of St.Louis. Had some ribs, bought some sauce.

Trouble with traffic in Kansas City, MO.

From Platte on north they’d seen the Missouri River flood. On our left, half submerged grain operations, mud and muck covered fences, plains full of silver water reflecting the red sunset. To our right bluffs, some topped with graveyards, all covered in the prettiest green grass.

The left turn west to Nebraska City was closed. The river had washed out that bridge.

We were sent north to the Plattesmouth exit.

The exits prior were closed due to flooding. Entire crossroads under water, the heads of stop signs and yield signs wading in an invisible intersection.

The Plattesmouth exit wasn’t much better and here we could see houses that had clearly been under water. A random house here and there saved because of a fateful extra 5′ elevation.

We crossed a narrow concrete bridge over the Missouri. At the other end we were greated by a small toll booth and an extremely cheerful local asking for a $1.75 toll.

Cash only.

I have thousands of dollars available to me… on plastic cards. But no cash whatsoever. And it seemed to me the toll booth operator would have just as cheerfully sent us back over the Missouri River because of it.

My copilot saved the day, with quarters from her small beaded change purse.

I have to wonder if the locals hurriedly built that booth, knowing there was no other way west to Nebraska south of Omaha.

From there we discovered the wonderful small town called Plattesmouth. An enormous red courthouse dominated a tiny village. People milled about, lounging in park benches, walking dogs.

It occurred to me this name, Platte, was almost omni-present at this point.

We stopped in Platte, north of Kansas City.

We were detoured to Plattesmouth in Nebraska.

Our last stop before Utah would be North Platte.

And on into the Nebraska night headed west.